Back To The Chasis

The right-foot plantar fasciitas is gone! I don't feel the
pain getting out of bed midnight or in the morning. 3 weeks
into barefoot. Amazing.

Over the week, I didn't run but focused on walking in the
Xeros. I practiced landing under my center of gravity as if
I were running. I had to because the blisters kept reminding
me every step of the way. (The lightbulb-sized monster
blister burst during my long run last Sat. The whole
under-heel area has been under renovation;-) My new walking
felt funny as if I morphed into some cartoon character. The
strides are much shorter now. But with higher cadence, my
walking does not slow down much.

Another thing I noticed was some pain on the top of the left
arch (above the metatarsals). This has only been slightly
annoying. It might not be an issue but let's see.

The left calf muscle (gastrocnemius) pain gets better over
the week. I think my running form is largely OK and the
calves do need to beef up and the pain probably is part of
it. We'll see how today's run goes.

Running on the paved trail, I noticed the left foot
definitely struggled landing with more supination and less
control. I could hear sometimes the rubber slapping the
pavement which was telling. The ball of the foot slipped and
rubbed more against the sole and overtime became painful. On
the other hand, the right foot landed much more softly but
sure-footedly and there was much less friction.

The calves started to complain at around mile 6 and I didn't
push much further. At the moment, I understand that I have a
20+-mile engine but a 10-mile chasis.

9.2 miles @ 8:53.

P.S. The muscles that stablize the feet (not just the left
foot) for a controlled landing must have worked hard during
the run. The ankles, calves, and the under-feet area all
hurt in the afternoon. It seems that they are bracing up for
the new barefoot demand.